I thought about how he’d left everything behind to do this. I wondered if he had leapt at the chance to escape his past. I think I would have. No, I already had.
The radiator ticked in the quiet room. I wondered what would happen next. Things had changed. I was stone-cold sober for a start. He looked tired. I looked at the clock. It was so late it was early. And not that early either. The night had nearly gone. He got up and went to the window again. What now? Again, he came and sat down and took my hand. Amongst this torrent of revelation I had forgotten …
‘I wondered if I might talk to you for a moment.’
‘Yes, of course,’ I said, wondering what we’d been doing up till now.
‘The thing is … the thing is … I wanted to tell you I like you.’
I felt oddly disappointed. ‘I like you too, Chief. We work well together.’
‘That’s not what I meant. What I wanted to say is that … is that I have feelings for you.’
My heart kicked up a gear. ‘What sort of feelings?’
‘Respect, admiration.’ A long pause. ‘Love.’
My little heart was going like a hammer. He mistook my silence.
‘I’m sorry; this must be a bit of a shock for you. I’ve tried very hard to … not to … I have to ask and I know you’ll be honest with me. Is there any chance you could ever … I mean, could you see yourself …?’
‘Yes.’
He stared very hard at his hand, the one with the scar, which still held mine painfully tightly. I don’t think he realised how strong he was.
‘Oh, OK. In that case, I’ll leave you. I’m sorry to have … Of course, this won’t affect …’ and he trailed off again. The guy had real articulacy issues. He wasn’t that good at listening, either. He got up, crossed the room, and quietly let himself out. I sat, stunned and exhausted and happy and elated. And slightly exasperated. There was a knock at the door. I got up and opened it.
‘What did you say?’
‘I said yes.’
He smiled, hugely. ‘Yes, you did, didn’t you?’ He bent his head and kissed me again, very gently. ‘After this mission …’
And before I could even get myself together and reply, he was gone.
I went to bed and for the first time in months, my thoughts were not Cretaceous-based.
Chapter Eight
Seven days later, we were as ready as we would ever be, with both pods fully loaded. Sussman was taking Three and I had Eight. We had decided to work from Three and sleep and eat in Eight, or maybe the other way around. We’d see when we arrived. As far as possible we were programmed to aim for higher ground. We didn’t want to land in three feet of water. ‘It’s not an exact science,’ said Farrell, looking, for him, worried. ‘Keep your fingers crossed.’ He looked tired and worn, just like everyone who had anything to do with this assignment. And we hadn’t actually started yet.
Sussman appeared. ‘All set?’
‘Yes, let’s crank them up and get going.’ We looked up. Kal and Peterson waved. Dr Bairstow stood quietly with Professor Rapson and many others. The gantry was packed.
‘Let’s go.’
We entered our separate pods. My second solo jump. What a long time ago the other one seemed. I stowed my bag carefully in the locker. I’d left the Horse behind, but I’d hidden my precious photo in my pack. I certainly wasn’t going to put it out for Sussman to mock, but just knowing I had it with me was a comfort. As if I’d brought him along.
Farrell stood in the doorway, scratchpad in hand, but it wasn’t needed. We’d been over everything twice already. We looked at each other. It was time. He said, ‘Try and stay safe, Max. I have plans for your return.’
My heart did a little twist. I nodded. ‘You take care, too.’
He smiled, stepped back, and the door shut. I opened the com.
‘Counting down.’
The computer said, ‘Jump initiated,’ and the world went white.
And green. Everything was green. Green was everywhere. I was so entranced I forgot to give my usual thanks to the local gods that I hadn’t materialised inside a mountain or at the bottom of a sea, or in this case a swamp. I craned my head to see out of the screen. Nothing but green.
‘Davey! Are you there?’
‘I’m behind you. I can see you, about one hundred yards away. Bloody hell, it’s bright!’
‘Activate your monitors. Let’s have a good look before we go outside.’
He started the read-outs. ‘Temperatures are high, but not bad. Humidity is off the charts. Hope you’ve got your rot-proof knickers on. Oxygen levels are acceptable if we don’t run about too much. No proximity alerts.’
I checked my own readings. ‘I concur. I’m coming over.’
‘I’ll put the kettle on.’
I slipped on vest and helmet and activated the mike. ‘Com test.’